There is nothing “pro-America” about Donald Trump and his supporters.
Somehow, at some point, the president’s many fans appropriated the moniker of being this nation’s true patriots. But just because you attach a red, white and blue flag to the back of your pick-up truck, it doesn’t mean you stand for our nation’s values.
Make no mistake. Donald Trump and his legion of cult followers are as anti-American as it gets.
A real pro-America individual celebrates our nation’s diversity as its greatest strength. The American melting pot is a hallmark of our modern society. Trump and his supporters are virulently anti-immigrant, documented and undocumented. They support ripping migrant children away from their parents at the border and drastically curtailing the number of refugees allowed into the country.
A real pro-America individual enthusiastically supports free-and-fair elections and a peaceful transition of power. Trump and his supporters are doing everything they can to discredit and delegitimize this election and disenfranchise as many voters as possible. On one of the first days of early voting, in Virginia, a group of Trump supporters turned out to protest instead of casting their ballots.
A real pro-America individual embraces public-health measures, like wearing a mask, that would save lives, small businesses and get the virus under control. Instead, the president stages super-spreader events throughout the country, and his supporters proudly display their ignorance, as they contract coronavirus and then return to their communities to infect others.
A real pro-America individual uses his and her First Amendment rights to speak out against systemic racism and advocates for equal justice under the law. They take to the streets to peacefully protest, and they believe all people are created equal regardless of their skin color or sexual orientation.
A real pro-America individual comprehends that freedom of religion includes the separation of church and state. It means freedom for those who practice all religions, including Islam. It means freedom for those who don’t practice any religion at all, and the freedom to live without having the beliefs of others forced onto them.
A real pro-America individual stands firmly opposed to unidentified, opaque paramilitary police forces that snatch civilians off the street and stuff them into unmarked vehicles, under the guise of maintaining law and order.
A real pro-America individual supports our nation’s Armed Forces, and doesn’t use them as political props. They understand why those who sacrificed their lives for our country did so heroically and don’t believe they are losers and suckers.
A real pro-America individual understands the importance of maintaining our historic international alliances with nations that espouse and support the ideals of representative government. They don’t exchange love letters with ruthless dictators, like Kim Jong Un, or advocate for Russian interests after learning its autocratic leader is placing bounties on our soldiers’ heads.
Waving an American flag doesn’t make somebody patriotic. Wearing clothing emblazoned with the Star Spangled Banner doesn’t make somebody patriotic. Placing an American flag emoji on a Twitter profile doesn’t make somebody patriotic. And sporting a red cap adorned with a simplistic slogan certainly doesn’t make somebody patriotic.
A person’s patriotism is shown through their actions, through their morality, through the manner in which they conduct themselves and treat others, and through their dedication to the institutions and traditions we hold sacred.
So, while your typical Donald Trump supporter may love to wave their American flag all over town, just remember this.
They have no idea what it represents.